Economists Say Farmers Lost $200 Million During Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey caused more than $200 million in crop and livestock losses, according to Texas A&M University agricultural economists.

The hurricane specifically cost local farmers $93 million in livestock losses, $100 million in cotton losses and $8 million in rice and soybean losses, the economists said.

“The effects of Hurricane Harvey will linger for quite some time with our Texas farmers and ranchers,” Doug Steele, agency director for Texas A&M University’s AgriLife Extension Services, said in a statement.

But the livestock losses were reduced partially by the U.S. military dropping hay bales to farmers, as well as donations from neighboring states and other Texas farmers who were not impacted by the storm, the economists said. Hay and feed donations were valued at more than $1.3 million as of Friday.

“Overall, these livestock loss numbers could have been far, far worse had it not been for the quick action of ranchers ahead of and during the storm,” Anderson said.

Hurricane Harvey also resulted in $62.4 million lost from cotton lint on the stalk, and an additional $9.6 million lost from harvested bales damaged by the storm, Texas A&M economist John Robinson said.

“You either had cotton that was on the stalk ready to be harvested and then taken out by Hurricane Harvey, or you had cotton modules sitting in the field only to have been damaged by wind, rain and/or flood water,” Robinson said.